Denial and delay won’t cure concrete cancer
Ignoring the health of your building isn’t bizarre behaviour, says one of Australia’s leading experts on concrete cancer. In fact it’s totally in line with the way we view our…
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Flat Chat name-checked in Parliament (with video)
Flat Chat was named in Parliament today – in a good way. Sydney MP Alex Greenwich asked the new Innovation and Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean if the government would…
Roundup: The naked truth about a backyard nudist
There’s an odd little question in this week’s Forum, and one that I admit I didn’t take seriously at first. See, this bloke likes to get his kit off in…
Dish the data … save the planet … win $200
Did you know that, despite the fact that we share a lot of services, apartment blocks tend to be less right-on than stand-alone houses when it comes to the environment?…
Politicians and the myth of the vomiting bridesmaid
Airbnb and the battle for your blocks: Part 3 Last week Jimmy Thomson looked at the appeal of “free money” and the push to allow holiday rentals to have greater access…
Monster utes – it’s not the width, it’s the length
Have you noticed a lot of giant ‘crew cab’ utes around recently? Those big four-door 4WDs with a short cargo tray tacked on the back? Australians bought more than…
Roundup: Space invading giant utes all the rage
Is it getting a bit squeezy in your car park? If it isn’t it soon will be. The biggest selling vehicle in Australia last year was the giant Toyota Hilux…
Airbnb: Free Money and Castles in the Air
Airbnb and the battle for your block: Part 2 Last week Jimmy Thomson looked at the growth of Airbnb and the opportunity and potential threats it presents to apartment residents.…
Landlord bashing ‘doing more harm than good’
Landlord-bashing by tenant support groups is doing renters more harm than good, says an organisation of property investors, hitting back at a report that revealed many tenants were too scared…
Fight for the right to ban holiday lets taken to the top
“How often in any politician’s career does he or she get to effect tangible and significant social change?” That was what Planning Minister Anthony Roberts asked me back in 2013…
Roundup: Back in print and raring to go
Wot? No Flat Chat? Where have you gone? Why was there no print edition of the column? This weekend saw the launch of the shiny new half-property, half-lifestyle Domain magazine,…
Renters v landlords: have-nots and have-lots
The recent revelations that rentersvare too scared to complain about problems in their units should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever rented a house or flat in…